LA Yasha Goby Without Ray?

[Cetus]

So, I ordered a captive bred Yasha Goby as the next fish for my 125 gallon from LiveAquaria and when it came in, it was absolutely tiny and missing the distinctive yasha goby ray.

is this something to be concerned about? I’m a bit worried a fish this small would make keeping a challenge if I ever see it at all. Do they grow fast and should I keep it somewhere to grow to a moderate size at least? I currently have a flame hawk which I know preys on tiny fish so I’m worried a juvenile yasha would be on the menu as opposed to a fully grown one which is only have an inch smaller.
Any advice would be great as they’re still behaving alright with no serious issues other than typical fright. And is the ray gone or can it regrow eventually and will a lost ray compromise the fish’s fitness in any way?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I guess depending on relative sizes, I wouldn’t trust the flame hawk with the goby.
As long as the fin base isn’t damaged and the is no infection involved, it will regrow.
That’s a pretty small species, going to be tough to see in that big of a tank.
Jay

 

[Cetus]

I guess depending on relative sizes, I wouldn’t trust the flame hawk with the goby.
As long as the fin base isn’t damaged and the is no infection involved, it will regrow.
That’s a pretty small species, going to be tough to see in that big of a tank.
Jay

Yeah, he was expensive but I'd rather not doom him. I thought maybe the size difference woulnd't have been that substantial but looking at him now... Yeah. Maybe I'll swap him out for an orange stripe prawn goby.